10 Reasons To Hate Men
by iimagiinatiion
Summary: Bella writes a column for the magazine Essential Style, and has just been assigned the topic "10 Reasons To Hate Men". Bella does hate men, so she thinks the article easy. But will her new co-worker Edward be able to change her mind about men, and him?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know, I know, I'm horrible! With everything that's going on with me not having internet access anymore and only being able to update scarcely, the LAST thing I should be doing is starting another new fanfic! I know! But I had this idea, and I really liked it, and I decided it would be better to write it down than forget about it. So here it is! Hope you like it! Please like it!

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Bella's POV

"Claire..." I mumbled.

"I know Bella, I know. All of my crazy article requests have you out of your mind, blah, blah, blah. But this article you can actually relate to, right? So I'm sure you'll do fine." She ran a slender, pale hand with blood red nails through her wavy red hair and sighed.

I rolled my eyes at her ability to be so blunt. But she's always been that way, at least, for the three years I've worked for her she has. Always demanding, blunt, and picky. So I wasn't THAT surprised when she assigned me this article.

"But it's just...ridiculous." I said.

"I don't think it's ridiculous." She retorted.

_Obviously_, I thought.

"Look," Claire said. "I know, you've been wanting a serious assignment, but this idea just...POP...popped right into my head, and I can't pass it up. I can already see it now. '10 Reasons to Hate Men.' On the cover of our next issue."

"Next issue??" I said, shocked. "I can't possibly finish before the next issue!"

"You can, and you will. You have thirty days, starting today. So you better get to it! Go, go! Don't waste time standing here, arguing with me!" She tugged at her red, black, and green Japenese looking blouse and smoothed out her black skirt as she sat down at her almighty desk. "Go!"

I sighed and tugged myself out of the brightly lit room, to go back to my small, darkened office.

When I got back into my office, I opened up a window slightly, and then sat down at my desk. I opened up Microsoft Word 2003 on my computer, and immediately saw a small, blinking black line that was the only thing on the empty white document.

How could Claire expect me to write an article on why to hate men? Well, the answer to that I knew for sure.

I was married once. His name was Richard. I was young, fresh out of college, and I was in love with him. I loved him heart and soul, body and mind, words and actions. I had convinced myself that he loved me too, and that we could be together forever.

But one day he disappeared without saying anything to me. I called his family asking if they'd heard from him, checked out his office at work and asked his friends if they knew where he'd went. I'd even gone to some of the local places he liked to hang out at, and asked if they'd seen him. No one had.

Eventually, the idea popped into my head that maybe he'd been kidnapped. I wasn't sure if I fully believed the possibility, but I tried to convince myself otherwise. I didn't call up the police though. I knew getting them involved would just cause me more problems, and tried to keep my worry and feelings under control, just hoping he would soon come back to me.

But on a chilly night, late, he came home. He was drunk as hell, and looked a mess, but I was relieved and overjoyed to see him. At least, I was until I saw a blonde, busty, bombshell follow him inside through the door. And that's about the time I fainted.

When I woke up, I mostly remember laying in a hospital bed with a doctor named Ian standing beside the bed looking down at me. He was older, about fifty, slightly gray haired with a bit of stubble, baby blue eyes, and he had a clipboard in his hand. "You fainted. Your...boyfriend? He dropped you off here and went back home." He said. "I remember..." I replied. Then I looked back on my encounter with Emmett as he had me worried sick, only to come home with another woman. And that was the end of our relationship.

So currently, I try not to trust men; besides family. But besides my dad, uncles, grandfathers, brothers, cousins, etc., men are out of my life. Romantically at least.

I haven't even considered dating, not that I could with all of my work. Claire has me running the craziest articles; anything from why people watch Jerry Springer to jeans that make your butt look big. But never anything I want to do, just her requests. She swears someday I'll be the one making my own calls on what to write, but it's been 3 years and still nothing.

The blinking, black line was still flashing on the white. After sitting there for an uncounted amount of minutes, I finally just clicked the red X in the corner of the screen and decided to try again later.

I got up from my chair and walked out into the main office hall.

"Hey Amanda!" I waved to the brunette beauty sitting at the reception desk.

"Hey Bella." She smiled back. She held up a red binder. "Remember, staff meeting in room 907 in 10 minutes."

"Crap, I forgot all about that," I said, sighing. "I guess I'll go."

So 10 minutes later I was dragging myself along to room 907. I took a seat beside my friend Lidia, who today was dressed in a sky blue halter and white capri's. She had her wavy blonde hair pulled up in a pony tail, and her perfectly manicured toes, (to match her fingers), were at home in a pair of small white heels.

"Hey," I said, slumping down into the black, rolling chair.

She didn't even say hi back, and this was actually quite normal for Lidia. She just started right in on what was happening.

"So, Claire told us that we were going to have a new project to work on. All of us - as a team. But she hasn't told us what yet. She insists on waiting until everyone else gets here."

I nodded slightly. "Makes sense."

Lidia looked at me incredulously.

"I meant about waiting for everyone else to get here," I clarified.

"Oh," She laughed slightly.

Just then Claire entered the room and waved her slender hand for silence.

Immediately the room hushed, and Claire cleared her throat.

"Like most of you know," She started, "I have a new project for you."

"What is it?!" Our flirty, outgoing new intern Stacey asked loudly.

Claire smiled. "Now Stacey, calm down," She smirked.

"Recently, I have decided that we need an article for men. We have many for women, including Bella's, which I have just assigned a new topic, by the way. But a few men do read this magazine, and we need something that they can relate to and read without feeling...uncomfortable to say the least. So. I have been calling up places, looking around town for someone who can write the men's article. Finally, at about 5:00 yesterday, I got a call from a young man who was very interested in the job, and had outstanding recommendations and qualifications. It's like he just fell into my lap."

So without further ado, I am proud to introduce to you the newest member of Essential Style, Mr. Edward Cullen."

The room was filled with clapping hands, screams of excitement, and mindless chatter. Lidia leaned over to me and said "Oh. My. God."

And not because Lidia was anti-man like me, but because when Edward Cullen walked in the room, I almost changed my mind about being anti-man.

Edward was HOT. He was about 5'7" with curly brown hair and the prettiest, pale skin. He had piercing green eyes that would make any girl (except me, of course) swoon, and the hottest body I think I've ever seen, even though all we could see was the outline, considering the fact he had clothes on.

"Hi," He said.

No one in the room was brave enough to say hello back. Even the few men we already had on the staff didn't move a muscle.

Claire beamed at him and pulled him over next to her, away from his akward standing position in the door frame.

"I thought you said we were working on a project," Stacey commented.

"We are." Claire replied, as if it was obvious. "Your project, all of you's jobs is to make Edward feel welcome. Make him feel at home in the office, and if he needs friends to hang out with outside of work, volunteer!"

Edward looked a bit uncomfortable in his current position but smiled.

"I will _definitely_ volunteer," Lidia whispered to me.

And even though I knew it was wrong, I actually wanted to volunteer too.

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A/N: Some of you probably think that this story is going to be a lot like How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days, But I assure you it will not be the same. Of course, there will be some similiarities, with Bella being a journalist for a magazine and having to do an unwanted article and all, but it's not how to lose a guy, it's why to hate a guy. So don't confuse the two!

Please review and tell me what you think, and if you want me to continue! Reviews mean so much to me!!


	2. Chapter 2

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**A/N: Thank you guys so much for all your wonderful feedback!! :) I am so so happy this many people like it already!! Anyhoo, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to update! ;)**

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Chapter 2

Edward's POV

My current situation was a bit...uncomfortable. I was excited about my new job, but I thought that this whole introduction was a bit much. Then again, when I first met Claire at the job interview, I knew that if I got the job she'd be a lot to handle.

I looked around the room. Most of the people were either staring and/or smiling at me, so I put on the happiest fake smile I knew how to and tried to analyze each person. I knew Claire - demanding, random, headstrong. Stacey, the intern, - flirty, bubbly, girlish. But of all the people, Lidia was one who caught my attention. Not because she was so attractive or anything, even though she was very pretty, but because she was pratically throwing herself at me. Well, not in so many words.

She watched me 99 of the meeting, and the other 1 was spent with her turning to who I had come to know as Bella and asking if she looked okay.

Eventually Claire prompted us on some of the articles in the next issue of Essential Style, and announced that the next staff meeting was to be next week; same day, same place, same time.

When the meeting was over the room cleared, but before Claire left she said to me, "Meet me in my office in 10 minutes, please, Edward. I need to talk to you."

I nodded my head, having no idea where her office was but being too embarrassed to ask. I would just have to ask someone else.

The only people left now were Bella, Lidia, and me. Bella sat in one of the rolling chairs, doodling on her pad of blue paper, I guess waiting for Lidia so she could leave. It was probably their lunch break soon and they were going to eat out together.

"So, Edward," Lidia said, in a way that I think she thought was sexy, as she came up to me. "Got any plans for this weekend?"

I didn't in reality, but I lied because I knew if I said I didn't she was going to ask me out, and I don't particularly want to go out with her. And I can't just say no because then I'll look like a jerk as a first impression to all my co-workers.

"Um...actually I do."

She looked unconvinced. "Really? What?"

I was unprepared for this question. "Well, I thought I might go visit a friend in a different town."

The flirty grin that had been upon her face seconds earlier was now gone, and she actually looked sad.

"Sorry..." I said, trying to not seem like such a jerk.

"It's okay!" She suddenly regained her peppiness and smiled. "I'm busy too. Right, Bella?" She turned Bella, who was still bent over her drawings, her long brown hair covering her face. I was a bit dissappointed because I hadn't got a good look at her yet. The whole staff meeting it seemed she had her head down, or anywhere except in my direction.

"Huh??" She said, and looked up at Lidia. Lidia obviously made some sort of facial gesture my way because Bella looked confused and then looked up at me. Now I had a perfect view of her.

She had long brown hair, sleek, like the kind you see in shampoo commercials. Her eyes were a deep brown, like a chocolate pool waiting to be dipped into. Her lips were thin and pink, but complimented her small and slightly pointy nose, and all of her facial features seemed to work well together. At first glance, Bella looked like any ordinary girl you might meet. But when she looked up at me - into my eyes - in that moment - I could tell she was anything but ordinary.

"Yeah..." Bella stammered. I guessed maybe she had the same sort of feeling about me that I had about her. How I was so unique and not ordinary. How I found her interesting and wanted to get to know her more. How I had that feeling like something was going to happen between us. At least I hoped that's what was going on in her head.

"Yeah." Bella started over. "Lidia and I are going...downtown...this weekend. To see a...show. Performed at...night. Night. Show. Downtown." She looked embarrassed about how badly she was stammering, and I sort of felt bad for her, but knew it would be better if I pretended not to notice it.

Lidia smiled, I guess happy that Bella had successfully reported their 'plans' to me. I knew she was lying, just by how she spoke and how hard it was for her to convey what they were doing.

"So I hope you have fun in...wherever you're going...with your friend," Lidia smirked.

"And I hope you have fun at your...night show downtown." I replied, with a sort of cocky grin.

Lidia's face turned slightly pink. "We will." She left the room the room headstrong, and Bella wearily got up to follow close behind. She was almost out of the room too when I remembered I needed help.

"Bella?" I asked her, and she stopped suddenly and looked at me.

"Yes?" She asked in reply.

"Um...well I'm in a bit of a situation. Claire asked me to meet her in her office, but I have no idea where it is, so do you think that you could show me?"

She looked a bit uncomfortable, and then left the room without an answer. I assumed hopefully that she was leading me to Claire's office, because she wasn't in the employee's office section anymore, and I didn't know where else she could possibly be going.

After a minute or two, she stopped in front of a big office door, with tinted glass windows on either side of it.

"Here you are." She said, with a slight, fake smile.

"Thanks." I said.

She walked away quickly, and I opened the huge door, only to reveal a lovely, artistic office. Claire was seated, waiting, at a huge oak desk in the center of the room.

"Hello." She said, and smiled.

"Hello." I mimicked.

"So I guess you're wondering why you're here?" She asked me.

I was very curious to know why she had brought me here, and was very keen to find out, so I answered, "Yes, actually, I am."

She smiled even bigger and she stood up from her seat, but kept her standing place at the desk.

"I'm going to assign you your first article."

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**A/N: Hey! **

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